The present invention relates generally to a rail break or vehicle detection system and, more specifically, to a long-block multi-zone rail break or vehicle detection system, and a method for detecting a rail break and/or vehicle using such a system.
A conventional railway system employs a rail track as a part of a signal transmission path to detect existence of either a train or a rail break in a block section. In such a method, the track is electrically divided into a plurality of sections, each having a predetermined length. Each section forms a part of an electric circuit, and is referred to as a track circuit. A transmitter device and a receiver device are arranged respectively at either ends of the track circuit. The transmitter device transmits a signal for detecting a train or rail break continuously or at variable intervals and the receiver device receives the transmitted signal.
If a train or rail break is not present in the section formed by the track circuit, the receiver receives the signal transmitted by the transmitter. If a train or rail break is present, the receiver receives a modified signal transmitted by the transmitter, because of the change in the electrical circuit formed by the track and break, or track and train. In general, train presence modifies the track circuit through the addition of a shunt resistance from rail to rail. Break presence modifies the circuit through the addition of an increased resistance in the rail. Break or train detection is generally accomplished through a comparison of the signal received with a threshold value.
Conventional track circuits are generally applied to blocks of about 2.5 miles in length for detecting a train. In such a block, a train should exhibit a train shunt resistance of 0.06 ohms or less, and the ballast resistance or the resistance between the independent rails will generally be greater than 3 ohms/1000 feet. As the block length becomes longer, the overall resistance of a track circuit decreases due to the parallel addition of ballast resistance between the rails. Through this addition of parallel current paths, additional current flows through the ballast and ties and proportionally less through the receiver. Thus, the signal to noise ratio of the track circuits degrades with longer block lengths.
In one example, fiber optic-based track circuits may be employed for longer blocks (for example, greater than 3 miles) for detecting trains and rail breaks. However, cost for implementing the fiber optic based track circuit is relatively higher and durability may be lower. In yet another example, ballast resistance is increased and block length of the track circuit may be increased accordingly. However, maintenance cost for maintaining a relatively high ballast resistance is undesirably high.
An enhanced long block rail break or vehicle detection system and method is desirable. It would be beneficial and advantageous if the enhanced long block rail break or vehicle detection system and method compensated for variations in source and track wire resistance while simultaneously improving functional reliability to decrease false positive signals that indicate the presence of a break or train that does not exist and false negative signals that fail to indicate the presence of a break or train that does in fact exist.